Florida never had the chance to get comfortable in what was a one or two possession game for most of its 40 minutes but ultimately they were able to come away with a slight 66-60 victory over the Towson Tigers. Up by 2 points in the final minute of the game the Gators were able to force two tough threes from Towson that both missed and Andrew Nembhard and Scottie Lewis calmly went to line to knock the free throws that sealed it. While Florida’s offense still lacked rhythm at times, particularly in the first half, they were able to get enough buckets in the end to get a lead and their defense that showed cracks throughout the game held tight when they most needed and ultimately the Gators came away with a win.
Scottie Lewis Breaks Out
Whether it was the two threes he knocked down early in the second half or an acrobatic finish late that gave the Gators the lead, Scottie Lewis had himself an excellent game on both sides of the floor. Finishing with 15 points this was the first time we’ve seen the extent of his game as a driver as Lewis had multiple layups off drives where he was simply faster and more athletic than the player guarding him. Between that and some key jump shots falling for him it was a confidence building offensive game for him but that wasn’t the only area of the game he was excelling. Incredibly active on the defensive end he stopped a lot of drives and showed why he is so highly regarded as a defender and the Gators needed that on a night where not everyone was completely locked in on Florida’s side of the court. All in all it was an inspired game by Lewis.
Double-Double Machine
For the second game in a row Kerry Blackshear Jr. had a double-double finishing with 13 points and 13 rebounds. It wasn’t the most efficient night for him going 4-14 from the floor but he got the ball down low a lot more than he did against Florida State which shows that the Gators made some improvements in their scheme to get the ball. Even though he missed some layups around the rim and went 0-4 from three (including an air ball) he had some good moments on the inside and his rebounding kept the Gators in the game when shots weren’t falling.
Playing Unselfishly
The ball was moving noticeably better against Towson than it did against Florida State and North Florida and that was most showcased by Andrew Nembhard’s 9 assists. He was able to get to put his teammates in great positions to score including some threes by Scottie Lewis and Keyontae Johnson as well as some layups down low for Kerry Blackshear Jr. He had some tough turnovers and missed a few layups at the rim, something he’ll be working on, but overall it was a step forward from how his early season has gone.
Developing Defense
What kept Towson in this game was their ability to score and Coach White won’t be particularly happy with how the team defended. Towson shot 43.8% from the floor, a number that isn’t terrible but one that’s simply too high for a Colonial League team coming into the O’Dome. Their physical backcourt was getting into the midrange against Florida’s slimmer guards which created issues as Towson hit midrange jumper after midrange jumper. They are definitely still gelling on that side of the floor but the near-scare they had tonight in almost losing to Towson should hopefully motivate them to learn a bit quicker.
Final Thoughts
This wasn’t a pretty game for the Gators and won’t aspire a ton of confidence within the fan base but they scratched and fought for the win when they needed it and that will hopefully galvanize the team a bit. They’re still trying to figure out what offensive system will work and they need to find lineups that can defend and hopefully this game can really help them in those areas as they watch film and head back to practice. If they play like this against UConn they could be in trouble so hopefully they’ll play a bit more connected on Sunday.